Copsa Mica, a small town in Transylvania [at the center of each satellite photo], was considered one the five worst polluted industrial sites of the communist world. A zinc smelter and a carbon black factory spewed heavy metals and black dust over a length of 25 or more miles. With the collapse of communism and closure of many heavy industry sites, the scar has subsided. Only the smelter, now under Greek ownership and stricter pollution control, remains. How long it will take for the soil to flush out its heavy metals from farmlands is not known. For higher resolution click here. Source: United Nations "One Planet, Many People: Atlas of Our Changing Environment" (2005)